Home
Home is the third episode of the second season of The Orville. Chief of Security Alara Kitan returns to her family on Xelaya after her strength begins to deteriorate, but they must confront their past if they are to come together. Home ''was written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and directed by Jon Cassar. Music was composed by Joel McNeely. Special guest stars include John Billingsley and Kerry O'Malley as Cambis and Floratta Borrin, Candice King as Solana Kitan, and Patrick Warburton as Lieutenant Tharl; while Robert Picardo and Molly Hagan reprise their roles as Alara's parents. The episode aired on January 10, 2019 Plot Act 1 On a Friday night in the Mess Hall, Chief of Security Alara Kitan arm wrestles Isaac. Crew members place bets with their comscanners. Isaac wins when Alara's arm breaks. In Sick Bay, Doctor Claire Finn reports that while Alara's bone will knit in about 30 minutes, she is worried because Alara's muscle mass has decreased by 20 percent and her bone density by five since arriving at the [[USS Orville|USS ''Orville]]. The Chief of Security's strength is rapidly deteriorating. Act 2 Finn tells Alara that her body is adjusting to Earth-like levels of gravity. She needs to return to her home planet of Xelaya to re-acclimate or, eventually, her body will permanently be weaker and frailer. Alara struggles unsuccessfully to lift weights in her quarters. "When I first got here, I could lift 100 kilos more," she tells Captain Ed Mercer. The Captain says that she would not lose her job on the ship but Alara is adamant to return home. After one final look at the Bridge, Alara takes a shuttle to her house on Xelaya with Helmsman Gordon Malloy and Mercer. Act 3 Once they land, Gordon activates a gravity shield to protect the Humans but Alara collapses as soon as she leaves the shield. Her parents, Ildis and Drenala Kitan carry her into the home. Ildis rebuffs Mercer for his concern, and the Captain tells Malloy he would like to punch her father for his attitude. Alara is confined to a floating mobility chair. Her sister Solana Kitan joins the family for lunch. Ildis and Drenala hope that Alara will pursue academic studies at the university, and tell her that she cannot be sure she will ever recover and rejoin the Orville. Alara grows upset, so Solana reveals that she is engaged to her boyfriend Terlus. "And now that you're home," Drenala tells Alara, "Who knows? Maybe you'll have some luck in the romance department." That night in her old bedroom, Alara tells her father that she grew up constantly reminded of her intellectual disability. Ildis replies that it "broke their hearts" to see their daughter to join the military. Alara retorts that the Orville offered more support than her own parents. Ildis says that a trip to the family beach house could bring the family together though Alara doubts the trip will improve their fraught relationship. Act 4 Upon arriving at the beach, they are greeted by the caretaker who says that the property is ready to be occupied. Solana spots a wild eevak. That evening, Alara gazes into the ocean and dreams of riding the animal. She looks out and sees a light on in a house down the beach. Act 5 An interim Chief of Security arrives at the Orville: Lieutenant Tharl. Other vacationers, Cambis Borrin and his wife, Floratta, stop by the home and ask if anyone suspicious has been seen around their property as personal items had been moved around the night before. Alara and Solana offer to investigate the cottage. Back on the Orville, Doctor Claire Finn and Chief Engineer John LaMarr announce they have a remarkable idea for Alara. In their commuter pod, Solana admits that many Xelayans look at Alara and think they are better and "more evolved," but she feels only pride in her sister. At the cottage, Alara notes that the caretaker's personal effects are untouched, so he cannot have left the island. Act 6 The Kitans host the Borrins for dinner. Cambis boasts that his prodigious son Galdus Harona is an associate professor at the local medical school. When Ildis' trivalve sauce begins to boil, Cambis pulls out a PM-32 and forces Ildis to dip his hand into it. Holding the Kitans at gunpoint, Cambis and Floratta reveal that their son committed suicide when his career was marred by Ildis. "He needed more peer-review," Ildis pleads but Cambis grows angrier. "You are going to renounce your position... You are going to tell the world you lied." When Ildis refuses, Cambis finds a pair of garden shears and Floratta plans to cut off Solana's fingers. Act 7 A Planetary Union shuttle arrives. Cambis and Floratta hides and force Ildis to greet them. Mercer says that their is important news for Alara, but Cambis jumps from behind a pillar and shoots him. Alara manages to jump out of her chair, fight Floratta for her PM-32, and shoot her. Realizing Floratta is dead, Cambis backtracks to Alara, chasing her. Meanwhile, Malloy sees that Mercer's gravity suit is failing. From the second floor, Alara convinces Ildis to fall to the ground to rescue Mercer. Cambis enters from the stairwell but Alara shoots him from the bathroom. Once on the ground, Ildis spots the corpse of Serris, the caretaker, hidden in the garden before dragging the Captain inside the protection of the shuttle's gravity shield. The shuttle quickly returns to the Orville. Now safe, Ildis weeps. "I don't know you,' he tells Alara. "I never even tried to know you." Alara replies quietly, "I wanted you to know me, Dad. All I ever wanted was for you to be proud of me." Back aboard the Orville, Finn has developed a treatment that will allow Alara to recover and maintain her strength. Alara declines, revealing that she wants to return home. "You were my family," she tells the Captain. You and this entire crew, but I found something on Xelaya. Something I'd only ever seen from afar. I always thought it was just for other people, but not for me. And now I have a chance to experience it for myself. I've already missed out on so much time. I don't want to miss out anymore. In the Shuttle Bay, the senior staff gives her a silent, tearful farewell. In his office, Mercer opens Alara's parting gift: a jar of pickles. Production The cast assembled for a table read of the episode on March 6, 2018 and filming began shortly after under the direction of Jon Cassar. The scene where the senior staff say their goodbyes with Alara was, unsurprisingly, the last to be filmed. "We did that on purpose... Actors, believe it or not, are human," Cassar explained. "And when they know they won't see someone for a bit, there's a real emotional thing that happens, and I wanted to take advantage of that.... It really helped.""PLANETARY UNION NETWORK: EPISODE 26". Planetary Union Network. Jan. 13, 2019. Sound editing was completed at some point before November 21."TRP Interviews #1 - Joel Shryack and Jon Greasley of King Soundworks". Topless Robot Podcast. Nov. 21, 2018. Preparing to air On March 13, creator Seth MacFarlane broke the news that Robert Picardo, who plays Chief of Security Alara Kitan's dad, Ildis Kitan, joined the set for filming, leading to speculation that the [[USS Orville|USS Orville]] will be traveling to Alara's home world of Xelaya.@SethMacFarlane. "GREAT work on The Orville today from @halstonsage @robertpicardo @joncassar and the rest of the team! Stay tuned!" Twitter. March 13, 2018. On March 19, actress Halston Sage left a cryptic hint: "One of my favorite things in the first season is that you did get to see that arc of Alara coming in to her own and really finding her place on the Orville, and you definitely get to see more that in the second season. I don't want to tell you, but there might be something involving a horse."Surette, Tim. "The Orville: Everything We Know About Season 2". TVGuide. March 19, 2018. On December 20, 20th Century Fox published a synopsis in a press release: "Ed, Gordon and Alara visit Alara's home planet of Xelayah" sic.Listings - ORVILLE, THE. The Futon Critic. Last accessed Dec. 20, 2018. Reception Viewership Home was watched live by 3.053 million Americans, including 0.7 million ages 18-45. While below the Season 1 average of 3.5 million, it was up from the previous episode ''Primal Urges''.The Orville:Season Two Ratings. TV Series Finale. Last accessed Jan. 11, 2019. Critical response Trivia * Olix's comscanner code to bet on Alara or Isaac is 7-4-9-9-alpha-6. * Robert Picardo (Ildis) and John Billingsley (Cambis) both portrayed doctors on the Star Trek shows Voyager and Enterprise. * Gordon says that he and his family are "trash." Moments later, Gordon crushes a beer bottle and leaves the trash on the Kitan's lawn. References * Alara's parting gift of a jar of pickles nods to Ed frequently asking her to "open this jar of pickles for me." * Ed's doll of Kermit the Frog has become a recurring question for non-Human officers. Lieutenant Tharl asks about it in this episode and Bortus asks in ''Command Performance''. * The plot point of Galdus Harona's unsupported claim that vaccines are dangerous has been compared to the anti-vaccination movement in the United States and Europe. Cast Names and titles are as they appear in the credits unless otherwise noted. Main Cast * Seth MacFarlane as Cpt. Ed Mercer * Adrianne Palicki as Cmdr. Kelly Grayson * Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Claire Finn * Scott Grimes as Lt. Gordon Malloy * J. Lee as Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr * Halston Sage as Lt. Alara Kitan * Peter Macon as Lt. Cmdr. Bortus * Mark Jackson as Isaac Special Guest Star * John Billingsley as Cambis BorrinBillingsley Cast In The Orville * Chris Flanders as Serris * Candice King as Solana Kitan * Kerry O'Malley as Floratta Borrin * Patrick Warburton as Lt. Tharl Recurring Cast * Chad L. Coleman as Klyden * Jason Alexander as Olix * Norm Macdonald as Yaphit * Robert Picardo as Ildis Kitan * Molly Hagan as Drenala Kitan Uncredited Guest Cast * Greta Jung as Comm. Officer References 002 202